Literary Time Out: Blog Tour: Mattie by M. Ann Rohrer

Literary Time Out: Blog Tour: Mattie by M. Ann Rohrer: Review Mattie was a really interesting read. It's a novel, but is based on a true story (which I didn't realize until I saw f...

Bookworm Lisa~: Blog Tour ~ Review of "Mattie" by M. Ann Rohrer

Bookworm Lisa~: Blog Tour ~ Review of "Mattie" by M. Ann Rohrer: Mattie by M. Ann Rohrer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Source: Netgalley Genre:  Historical Fiction Book Description:   “Mattie” is h...

TO JUNK OR NOT TO JUNK

My son’s car stalled on the way home from work on a long lonely road. He and my husband spent days diving into the darkest recesses under the hood finding several problems and fixed them.  Another couple of days and it was all back together.

It wouldn’t start.

Back under the hood they went, taking the thing apart again, layer at a time exposing those nether regions, tweaking this, tweaking that. Then, with greater care, it went back together, bolt by bolt.

It started. It leaked oil.

Refusing to haul it to the junkyard, however tempting, my son went online looking for solutions. The engine must get hot to seal the gasket, he discovers. He lets the car idle. No leaks. He drives it around the neighborhood. No leaks. He takes it on the freeway. No leaks.

Success. We celebrate.

A week later, it stalls on the same road coming home from work. Disappointment is putting it mildly. He arranges to have it towed. What could it be? Timing chain? Water pump? Valves?   

Nope. It was out of gas.   

WHAT'S HAWAII COMPARED TO A BOOK SIGNING!

Our fortieth anniversary, we spent the morning at Barnes and Noble, who hosted my first book signing for my newly published novel, MATTIE.  It was a sellout requiring additional orders. For lunch, we drove forty-five minutes to eat at the Green Spoon. In the heart of old town, and like all the other businesses on the street, the restaurant was skillfully renovated, maintaining its quaint charm. I ordered a delicious Rachel Sandwich—as opposed to a Reuben. My husband ordered grilled salmon.

We came home to laundry.

John said I let him off easy. He expected a hold out for Hawaii.

Add popcorn and a late night DVD, I say the day was perfect.

Some things are just worth it.

Along with fuel and food, my visit to California cost me a two hundred dollar traffic ticket and a hard fall in the tub.  I hazarded the sixteen-hour drive for the grandchildren.  In one week, we celebrated three special occasions, attended three performances, and just hung out, sometimes talking, sometimes dancing to cool music, flashy light thingies, and swirling fog.

Well worth the cost!

Chic-lit Romeos

Clichés are poison to good writing and nothing is more cliché than the hero with broad shoulders, narrow waist, and rippling muscles. It never fails that his shirt stretched across his chest, his arms were hard to the touch, his form filled the doorway. And what in sweet heaven is a cute butt?  Do men want cute, except to look at? (He has cute abs. Aren’t his pecs cute? Oh, look at his biceps. Aren’t they cute)? And we’re lead to believe the male paragon is unaware of his Adonis status.

Yeah, right! A mirror is a weight lifters best friend.

I watched a movie where an unremarkable, skinny man with thinning hair unexpectedly became the Romeo. He had no dazzling smile, piercing blue eyes, or wavy blond hair to recommend him. A delightful sense of humor, cleverness, confidence, and a deep sense of others were his redeeming qualities. As the story progressed, who he was overshadowed what he was not. By the end, the female protagonist was not the only one in love with him, so were the women in the audience.

Imagine revolutionizing chic lit romance with the Cyrano de Bergeracs and Colonel Brandons of the world as the idols of happily even after? Imagine revolutionizing the Bergeracs and Brandons. 

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed.  The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.  Life is like an old time rail journey….delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed.  The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”  (Gordon B. Hindkley, 15th President of the Church of Latter-day Saints)